PMD: Escape from Fate
by Kecleon352
Summary: One is running from his legacy, one from his past, and one from her destiny. These three Pokemon find each other and joins Wigglytuff's guild as an exploration team, but as the world seemingly begins to fall apart around them, they must judge where their priorities lie, and whether they can escape their destinies, or whether they must accept them at face value. (SYOC)
1. The Beginning

_The cave that Leon the Kecleon was in was wet and almost pitch black. He could barely even see the paw in front of his face. But he knew that there had to be some way of lighting the place. He couldn't use a Luminous Orb, that was for sure. His father told him that the only good that would do is blind yourself and make it even harder to see. He fumbled around the cave wall until he felt what seemed like a rock jutting randomly from the wall._

 _He smiled and pushed it in. A spark lighted out of nowhere and suddenly two rows of torches lit up in front of him, one on each side. They were obviously old, and it seemed a miracle that they even lit. "Must be some special oil or something," Leon muttered to himself as he continued on his way in between the torches. Suddenly, he felt the floor depress under his foot and he quickly stepped back as a wall of fire lit up right where he was standing._

" _A booby trap, huh? Please, just try to stop me," he said confidently. Leon looked at the floor and tried to see any difference. When he didn't see any, he looked up and down the torches, and suddenly saw the pattern. The bases of the torches were variably colored red and green, reminding him somewhat of the color scheme of his species, which he's thankful he doesn't share. The torch he stepped in front of was ringed with red, while the torch just beyond it was ringed with green._

 _Deciding to take a plunge, he leaped over the area marked with the red torch and landed right next to the green torch. He cringed and waited to be burned to a crisp, but when nothing happened, he smirked to himself. "Knew it. Too easy." He hopped from one green torch zone to the next, almost barely landing where he needed and setting off the traps one too many times, nearly singing the end of his tail. Finally, he passed the final torch and landed safely on the steps of a raised altar._

 _Leon climbed up the steps, the excitement in his chest growing with every step. Finally, he reached the top of the altar, and looked upon the biggest chest he ever saw. "Amazing! With this big of a chest, there's bound to be a ton of treasure inside!" Leon rushed over to the chest, and saw that the chest was locked by a push-button. He pressed it in, and watched as it slowly opened. The divine light of the treasure inside glowed through the growing crack, shining on the floor and rising until it met Leon's eyes. He was momentarily blinded by this intense light, but as his eyes adjusted, he looked in and saw…_

* * *

"LEON! WAKE UP!" a loud voice screamed, knocking Leon out of his dream and his bed. Wiping the tears out of his bleary eyes, he looked up and saw his brother, Kenan. The green lizard-like Pokemon had a red-zigzag stripe around his middle, and was fringed with yellow, from his crest to his claws. His yellow lipped mouth was turned in a huge frown. "You're late for breakfast, Lazy'mon. If you don't get down here soon, I'll eat it."

"Sure, why not?" Leon snapped back, "You're already growing a gut. You might as well add to it."

Kenan looked at Leon with a look of surprise, which quickly evolved into anger as he whipped out his tongue and smacked Leon on the head with it. "Just get down here, Leon. Or else, I'll be getting Dad to get you up." He slammed the door to Leon's room and tromped down the stairs.

Leon rubbed his aching head, but was still smiling due to his witty comeback. He got out of his straw bed and stretched himself out paws first, much like a cat. He got up and walked over to his mirror to look himself over. Besides a little crust in his eyes and red spot where Kenan smacked him with his tongue, he looked overall normal, if being a shiny, purple Kecleon was considered normal. Unlike his brother, his skin is mostly purple, and his zigzag stripe was blue instead of red. The only thing he shared with his brother was the yellow fringe he had around his body. Most people looked at him with a look of interest and almost pity, but he was always comfortable with himself. He thought he looked unique, and that suited him.

He pushed open his door and walked down the stairs of his two-story house. Leon felt he was extremely lucky to live in such a nice home, especially since his house is in Treasure Town, home of the legendary Wigglytuff Guild. Leon turned around at the base of the stairs and walked right into the kitchen. Both his father, a shiny Kecleon, and his brother were already seated at the small, wooden table, eating. Leon walked over and sat himself down in the seat farthest from the walkway. Another seat that was across from Leon was empty.

"So," Leon's father began, "had some trouble waking up?"

"Um, well," Leon glared at his brother, who was smirking into his Chansey egg omelet. "Yeah, I was having a good dream. I was in a cave, and I leaped through a bunch of booby traps, and I was standing in front of this huge-"

Leon's father sighed. "Leon, just stop. I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. You're a Kecleon. You don't go adventuring. You serve the wares for the ones who do."

"B-But, Dad-" Leon started, but his father held up his paw, which was his sign that the conversation was over.

"Hey, Dad!" Kenan spoke up. "I got the inventory reorganized and the shop swept out."

The elder Kecleon nodded at Kenan. "Good job, Kenan!" He turned to Leon. "Why can't you be more like your brother? At least, he's taking the job seriously."

Kenan smirked at Leon, beaming with pride. Leon just scoffed and gulped up the rest of his omelet. He pushed his seat out and walked towards the front door. "I'm going out," he called back, and before anyone could say otherwise, he opened the door and rushed out of the house.

He didn't stop running until he was in the Treasure Town Square. Panting, he looked back to see if either of the Kecleon decided to follow him, and was glad to find that they hadn't. He walked over to one of the totem poles surrounding the square and leaned against it, watching the various Pokemon walk by. "What does Dad have against me becoming an explorer? Is it because of Mom?" Leon barely knew his mother, but he knew that she had forgone family business to become an explorer, just like Leon wanted to do, too. Unfortunately, she disappeared on one of her missions, and no one heard from her since. Leon sighed. "Maybe that's why my dad won't let me be an explorer. It's too bad I can't just leave."

"Oh, I might have a solution to that," a voice whispered in his ear, and before he could react, a clawed paw reached over and clamped around Leon's mouth and he was dragged into a dark alleyway between two buildings.

* * *

And, that happened. I hope everyone's happy with this new project I've started on this wonderful day of my birth! This is one half of two PMD stories which I've started, which both follow one overall plot. This one I'm especially excited about because, finally, I have a story featuring a Kecleon! The other story is PMD: Pursuit of Fate, which follows a more traditional route for a PMD story, so check that out when you get the chance. I may not update in a while, but I'll try to when I get the chance. I'll also try to make my chapters longer, since I've gotten complaints that my chapters are too short. Anyway, thanks for reading, and leave a review to tell me what you liked about it, and what you think I could improve. And, as always, stay tuned to find out what happens next!

*Note: I wrote this last bit on my birthday, but I wasn't able to upload it then. So, that's why I'm talking about today being my birthday, even though it was a few days ago.


	2. The Natu's Flight

The Kecleon struggled against his unknown assailant, twisting and turning, trying to break free from this Pokémon's iron grip, but to no avail. He started to consider biting this mysterious adversary when his captor suddenly said, "If you can't even get away from me, then how are you supposed to become an explorer, Leon?"

As soon as Leon heard him speak, he relaxed. "Okay, fine. You got me Neal. Now, can you please let go of me?"

The arms around him loosened, and Leon turned around to see a Sneasel with a yellow bandana around his head, the red feathers on his head poking out through a hole at the top. Neal smiled at the Kecleon, and they both embraced each other, displaying their years of friendship in one gesture.

As soon as they came apart, Neal gave Leon a look of concern. "So, is everything okay? Normally, you're able to notice me and shove me to the ground, but you seemed distracted today."

Leon shrugged, and was able to explain everything using one word. "Dad."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense." Neal said, realizing what Leon meant instantly. "I don't understand why he gives you a chance to do what you want to do. I mean, look what happened when you gave me a chance, right?"

Leon smiled faintly at his Dark type friend. He still remembered the day when he met Neal all those years ago. Because of Pokémon from recent memory such as Dusknoir or Darkrai, parents had warned their children to stay away from those nasty types of Pokémon. Unfortunately, unlike those evil Pokémon, Neal was a very kind and sensitive Pokémon, but when all of the other kids didn't want to play with him, even poking and teasing him, he ended up being miserable during a lot of his early childhood.

However, that changed when a young Leon approached him sitting alone on a stump away from all of the other children. Leon asked him why he was sad, and when Neal told Leon about why all of his friends don't want to play with him anymore, Leon told the Sneasel that he would be his friend, and no matter what, he would never leave him just because of some other stupid Pokémon. Soon, they became inseparable, and they were always there for each other in the hardest of times. When Leon's mother disappeared on that fateful expedition, it was Neal who Leon looked to for comfort in his darkest hour. And when Leon told Neal about his dream to follow in his mother's footsteps, Neal supported him all the way. However, without the blessing of Leon's father, they knew that there wasn't much either of them could do.

"Hey, maybe we could ask the guild to convince your dad to let you become an explorer. I've seen how hard you train every day, and if you show everyone just how good you are…"

Leon chuckled and shook his head. "It won't do any good. Unless Dad gives me his blessings himself, then I'm out of luck. Thanks anyway. It was a nice thought."

Neal gave out a groaning sigh. "Darn it. I really thought that could work. Now what do we do?"

Leon sighed and stared longingly at the tent for Wigglytuff's Guild, which hovered over the entirety of Treasure Town. The sight of it brought to mind many of the amazing characters and things that the guild had come to be known for. From Guildmaster Wigglytuff himself, to Team Impossible, the greatest team of explorers ever. Thinking about the guild suddenly made Leon think about his mother. He couldn't even remember what she sounded like anymore.

"I guess we should just hope for a miracle," Leon said finally, "At this point, that's all we can do."

Just as Leon said this, he was suddenly plowed down by a Pokémon. Grunting in pain, he looked up and saw a Natu laying on top of him. "Oh, I'm so sorry." The Natu said quickly, clearly a female. It then jumped off of Leon and took off down the road towards Sharpedo's Bluff.

Neal held out his claw to Leon, and helped the poor Normal type up. "Well, that was sudden," Neal stated, "Why do you think that Natu was in such a rush?"

His question was suddenly answered as two Pokémon, a Scraggy and a Lampent, came running from the same direction as the Natu had come. They began looking around the area. "I don't see her anywhere." The Scraggy said after about a minute of searching.

"You dolt!" the Lampent yelled at the Scraggy angrily, "You really think she'd just stick around here waiting for us? She's obviously nowhere around." The Lampent then eyed Leon and Neal staring at them. "Oi, you two!"

"H-Huh?" Neal responded hesitantly.

"You see a Natu around here recently? That girl has a bounty on her head, and as an exploration team, it's our job to round up that criminal."

"Th-That was a criminal?" Leon asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and a mean one, too," the Scraggy added, "She's wanted for multiple crimes, including-"

"Shut up!" the Lampent yelled, smacking the Scraggy in the back of his head with its arm. "Look, kids. This is official exploration business, so be good little Pokémon and tell us where the blighter went!"

"Kids?!" Leon yelled, "We are not-"

Neal covered Leon's mouth with his claws. "She went that way." Neal pointed in the direction that the Natu had ran to earlier.

The Lampent smiled. "Good lad. At least one of you has a smidge of respect for your elders." The Lampent turned to the Scraggy. "Let's go catch that brat." Then, the two Pokémon took off, continuing their hunt.

Leon dragged Neal's arm away from his face. "Are you kidding me? What was that, Neal?"

Neal sighed. "Look, Leon. They're right. If they're on a mission, then we have no right to get in their way."

"Yeah, but…" Leon looked to the ground, appearing distracted, "what if they're not? What if they're just criminals posing as an exploration team? I mean, that's what happened with Team Skull, wasn't it? And that Natu seemed scared, and definitely not mean." Leon's eyes moved up and he stared at Neal "All I'm saying is, at least we should go check it out, just in case."

Neal scratched the back of his head. "Well, I suppose you have a point. But, I still don't think we should interfere. We'll only go and look."

Leon nodded. "Okay, that's just fine with me." The two Pokémon then charged off in the direction of Sharpedo's Bluff.

* * *

"No, get away from me!" The Natu screamed, trying to back away from the villainous Pokémon who had her cornered. She turned back and saw the sea far below crashing against the cliff-face. She could try to jump and fly for it, but she wasn't really an expert flyer, and she would expect that the Lampent would easily be able to catch up to her.

The Lampent sneered at the Natu. "What's the matter, my dear? Afraid of heights? Surrender yourself to the relentless bounty hunter duo, Burn and Crash, and we might only slightly beat you to a pulp."

The Scraggy laughed haughtily. "You tell 'er, Crash."

"Idiot!" The Lampent smashed its arm straight into the Scraggy's face. "I'm Burn. You're Crash. I'm the mysterious shadow, and you're the hidden night. Get it together!"

Crash got up, rubbing his forehead where a bruise was already starting to form. "Alright, alright. Geez, sorry."

Burn cleared his throat, and turned back to the quivering Natu. "Sorry about that, he's more brawn than brain. Anyways, if you'll accompany us, stupid girl, we'll get a fine bounty on your head."

Natu tried to back away, and ended up kicking a couple of pebbles off the edge. "B-But, you're an exploration team. You're not supposed to do this kind of thing."

Burn chuckled. "You're right, an exploration team isn't supposed to do things like this. But," Burn's sneer turned extremely sinister. "I suppose it's a good thing we aren't an exploration team, right?"

"I knew it!"

Burn and Crash turned around to find Neal and Leon standing behind them. The Kecleon had a severe glare in his eyes, and the Sneasel appeared half-angry and half-frightened.

"What? You two?" Burn demanded from the pair of Pokémon. "Mind your own business, lads, before I have to hurt you, too."

But Leon remained unmoved. "You lied to us! You said you were an exploration team, but you two are just a couple of no-good bounty hunters!"

The bounty hunters sneered amongst themselves. "Sure, you got us," Crash stated, "We lied to you a little about our occupation. This little Natu isn't even wanted by the guild, but by another 'interested' party. What are you two gonna do about it?"

"Stupid!" Burn yelled, smacking Crash hard enough to send him flying a few feet. "Are you gonna tell _everyone_ about our mission? Are you gonna tell them who sent us, now, or how about why he wants the Natu out of the way?"

Crash slowly got up, a scowl embedded deep in his face. "I'm not stupid. I was being vague."

Burn rapidly floated over and pressed his face against his partner's. "Well, here's an idea. If you think you should talk, don't!"

"Oh, yeah?" Crash yelled, pushing Burn back.

"Yeah!" Burn yelled back, trying to push Crash back

The two of them kept going back and forth like this, until they both heard a quiet, "Don't worry, you're safe now," from the other two Pokémon. They looked up and saw Leon and Neal with their target, the Natu slipping past them while the two of them were arguing.

The two Pokémon looked at each other, their faces still pressed up against each other. "To be continued," they both said simultaneously.

They got into battle stances and Burn yelled, "Hey, hand that Natu over, or suffer the wrath of the amazing bounty hunter team, Burn and Crash!"

"Huh? 'Burn and Crash?'" Neal asked, "Isn't the phrase supposed to be 'crash and burn?'"

"It is?" Crash asked, dumbfounded. He turned to Burn. "Hey, maybe he's right. It would definitely sound cooler if we-"

"Oi! No chance, Crash!" Burn interrupted the Fighting type. "Even if that's right, there's no way you're getting top billing on this. I'm obviously the cleverer of the two of us, so I am rightfully placed first."

"Hey, now, hold on a minute! We were never talking about who can cut better out of the two of us."

"That's _cleaving_ , you nincompoop! I'm telling you that I'm wiser than you will ever be!"

"Oh, yeah? You wanna prove it?"

"I already have, you ninny."

While the two Pokémon were arguing, Neal leaned over to Leon. "Maybe we should let them settle things before we fight them," he whispered.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. We should give them some space." Leon, Neal and the Natu began to walk away, until they heard the two Pokémon behind them shout, "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Leon replied, "Well, obviously, you two have some stuff you need to work out amongst yourselves, so we'll just be going."

"Oh, okay," Crash said, nodding, "That makes sense. You can come back later, then."

"You idiot!" Burn yelled at Crash, shooting a fireball that exploded at his feet, sending him flying backwards and almost off the cliff. "They still have our target. We can't just let them walk away with her."

Crash, who was lying on his back after the small blast, slowly picked himself up. "Oh yeah. We should probably catch her first," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Burn turned to Neal and Leon. "You'd better be ready, because we are not going to hold anything back against a couple of kids, especially annoying ones like you."

"Bring it on!" Leon challenged back. He glanced over at Neal and he nodded back to Leon. Leon turned his attention back to the Lampent and Scraggy duo, ready for battle.

* * *

Well, that was pretty fun, right? After that first chapter, which might need a little editing, in my opinion, this must really have you guys on the edge of your seats. By the way, I figure that Burn has a bit of a British tongue, while Crash is a little more Bostonian, so try imagining that if you wanna think about how the two of them sound.

Anyway, if you really enjoyed this chapter, then I implore you to read and review, to express how you thought of my chapter. I noticed that this one is a bit more popular than Pursuit, and with the unique Pokémon I've chosen, I can't really blame anyone. Still, this story and that one are connected, so while you can just read this one, I ask that you take the time to check out the other one so you can get a more complete image of the events surrounding this story.

Oh, and speaking of that, I actually have a proposition for everyone. I'm actually considering taking some OCs that you guys think up, in a standard SYOC style. The reason that I'm saying this is because, as this takes place a few years after the events of PMD:EoS, there are obviously some things that had changed during that time span. And since I'm too lazy to think about every new Pokémon that would be introduced, I figured I'd give everyone a chance to try to wow me with their ideas. Now, I'll have a full list of what you can try for, as well as the rules and form, on my profile soon, but let me just say that brand new exploration teams are a must here.

And so, as always, make sure to stay tuned for the next chapter, which may or may not come real soon, depending on if I can get to a computer or not. (Aren't I reassuring? :-P )


	3. Taking On The Bandits

The four Pokemon eyed each other warily, on one side was Crash the Scraggy and Burn the Lampent, the dastardly bounty hunter duo, and on the other side was Leon the Kecleon and Neal the Sneasel, the pair of friends who decided to protect the strange Natu, whom they didn't know, but were willing to risk everything to protect anyway. The said Natu hung behind, hiding behind a boulder while watching the battle with interest.

Burn floated forward, attempting to intimidate the two children. "I will give you one last chance to hand over that Natu. No one has to get hurt here...at least, not much."

Leon stepped forward, his chin held high. "Keep dreaming. We won't let a couple of bandits like you touch one feather on her head. Right, Neal?"

"That's right." Neal said, though with less enthusiasm than his friend.

"Hey, we're not bandits," Crash argued, "We're bounty hunters. There's a difference, I think."

Burn turned angrily to his compatriot. "It doesn't matter what you think, Crash. All that matters is getting our score. Now, go get that Natu!"

Crash pressed his face against the Ghost type. "Hey, you're not the boss of me! I can do whatever I want! And right now, it just so happens to be getting that Natu."

The three other Pokemon sweatdropped. "Talk about redundant..." Neal muttered.

Crash turned to them. "I'll take you out with one hit!" He rushed forward, his skull cap glowing white. "Headbutt!" he cried.

Leon and Neal turned to each other. "You get the Lampent..." Leon began.

"...and youll get the Scraggy," Neal finished. The two Pokemon nodded and separated from each other, leaving Crash stumbling after having no target. Leon took advantage of his opponents misstep, and cried, "Slash!" while raking his claws, which had extended by about a foot, across Crashs back, causing him to recoil in pain.

Meanwhile, Neal rushed up to Burn. The lanturn Pokemon scoffed. "Seriously? Pitiful planning on your part. Fire beats Ice, moron. Flamethrower!" He blasted a large surge of flame right at Neal. After a few seconds, he stopped, expecting to find a charred corpse. However, he barely had time to register the fact that he wasnt there when he heard in his ear, "Faint Attack."

"W-What?" he cried out just he saw the Sneasel out of the corner of his eye whallopping him into the ground with his fist. The Sneasel landed a couple of feet away and sneered, "Pitiful planning on your part. Dark beats Ghost, moron," Neal taunted, the irony thick in his voice.

Trembling from the damage he took, he slowly righted himself, glaring at the Dark type. "You miserable little wretch. Now, youll-" Burn was quickly cut off as Crash, who was sent flying when Leon used his Shadow Punch, collided into him and sent the both of them sprawling almost off the edge of the bluff.

Neal chuckled as he walked over to his friend. "That was some punch. Youve definitely been training, dude!"

Leon rubbed the back of his head, his awkward smile showing his slight embarrassment at this compliment. "Thanks, Neal. I actually learned that from a friendly Haunter who stopped by the store a little while ago. By the way, nice comeback back there!"

Neal giggled, "Thanks, Leon. I thought it was a nice taste of his own medicine, you know?"

After a bit of tussling with each other, Burn and Crash finally separated and righted themselves, "Um, Burn?" Crash whispered to the Lampent, "I think theyre beating us."

Burn slowly nodded. "Indeed. They seem to think that theyre schooling us. So, how about we teach these brats a lesson or two of our own?"

Crash looked at him, worried. "But, I don't have any experience as a teacher."

Burn grunted in frustration, trying very hard to prevent himself from throwing the Scraggy off of Sharpedo's Bluff. "Instead of spending the one active brain cell you have trying to think, how about you just listen to my plan. I want you to lead the Sneasel away from me. I'll take care of the Kecleon, and then I'll come help you finish off the other one. Capishe?"

"Yeah, I could eat." Crash said, bluntly.

Burn threatened the Fighting type by shoving one of his fiery arms right into his face. "Just go do what I said, before I melt your face off!"

Crash jumped back in fright and squeaked, "Okay, sure. Whatever you say, man." He then rushed after the two Pokemon again, and shouted, "Headbutt!" once more. Leon and Neal smirked and scattered like they did before, but then Crash turned and started chasing Neal, leaving them both shocked at the sudden change in their strategy. Neal braced himself as Crash's Headbutt landed, sending him back a couple of feet.

Meanwhile, Burn's flames began to brighten, and he shouted, "Fire Spin!" as he launched a tornado of flames right at Leon. The Kecleon barely managed to dodge, and he righted himself just in time for Burn to smack him in the face with a Sucker Punch, sending him sprawling.

 _Heh, heh,_ The Lampent chuckled to himself, _I did it. Now, thanks to his Color Change ability, he should be a Dark type now. Now all I have to do is land a Shadow Ball and he'll become a Ghost type, ripe for the pummling. It was a good battle, but playtime is over, kid!_

The Lampent charged his Shadow Ball and shot it at Leon. Leon, who had seen the attack coming, ran and jumped at the Shadow Ball using his Slash to slice right through it. "Vain effort. Now, you're wide open!" Burn cried as he charged another Shadow Ball and launched it at Leon, which caused a huge mid-air explosion.

"Tch, what a waste of time. Well, I'd better help Crash deal with his runt." He began to float away when he heard a voice behind him saying, "Don't turn your back on your enemy, idiot!"

Burn turned around and couldn't help but gaze in shock as the Kecleon he thought he had just defeated was arcing down towards him, his hand covered in dark energy. "What!? How is this-"

"Shadow Punch!" Leon interrupted the Ghost type by launching his fist into his face, instantly causing him to get knocked out and spawl away in a crumpled pile.

Leon then thought to go help Neal deal with his opponent, but he smiled as he saw there was no need, as Neal just finished launching a barrage of Fury Swipes on the Scraggy, which caused the Fighting and Dark type to falter on the spot.

Neal looked up at Leon, a huge grin spread across his face, and they both cheered at the same time, "Yeah, we won!"

"Yeah, you guys did," A female voice said behind them. They turned around and saw it was the Natu they had saved before. "I-I thank you for fighting off those hooligans. I'm sorry I caused so much trouble for you. Please, forgive me." She bowed her head, which pretty much consisted of her whole body, in an apologetic manner.

The two friends looked at each other and chuckled lightly. "There's no need for you to be sorry," Leon said, assuringly, "The ones who should be sorry are these- Hey, where'd they go!?" Leon exclaimed in shock, noticing that the two bandits disappeared from right under their noses. "Grr, this isn't good. We have to go find them!"

But, before Leon could take one step in the direction that they could've gone, two Bronzong appeared from the road to Treasure Town, panting slightly. "Oh, thank goodness we found you, Mistress Anya. We figured those wretched bandits had swindled you away by now." Neither Neal nor Leon could discern which of the two had been speaking just now.

Suddenly, Neal's eyes went wide from realization. "Wait, 'Mistress?'" He turned to the Natu. "Just who are you, anyway?"

The Bronzongs gasped in shock, (Or, maybe it was just one of them. It was really confusing.) "My dear boy," said one of the Bronzongs, "Do you not know that the Pokemon standing before you is next to royalty in importance? You just saved the life of the Priestess of the Temple of Xerneas, Mistress Anya!"

* * *

Wow, royalty! (Well, almost royalty, anyway.) That's pretty big! Bet they never expected to be stuck in the middle of this! Well, they are. And, unbeknownst to them, this meeting will actually have a lot more significance in their lives than they figured. What do I mean by this? Well, just stay tuned to find out!

P.S.: I know I'm taking a while to do this, but trust me, these stories are some of the most important things to me, so while I might not be writing and publishing them every week, just know that these are always at the top of my mind, and I'm always trying to invent new ideas for, not only the stories I have published, but many more story ideas that I want to put into writing. (Yes, typing counts as a type of writing in my mind. Shut up, all ye non-believers!)

P.S.S. I'm writing this last note just as I'm publishing this, but I wanted to tell everyone sorry for taking so long on writing this story. It's because I was having a bit of a writer's block on Pursuit, which basically called on an entire rewrite of the story. (You can find more details on it in Pursuit of Fate.)


	4. Learning The Truth

"A...priestess?!" Both Neal and Leon exclaimed as soon as they heard the Bronzongs' proclamation, looking at the Natu in front of them with surprise.

Anya sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but one of the Bronzongs interrupted her. "Yes, that's right. She's the vassal of Xerneas and the Tree of Life, and, as such, can access the limitless power of the great god of life!"

The Bronzongs turned to each other and the other one said, "Well, as soon as she completes her training, that is. Just like every one of her incarnations before her."

Leon glared at the Natu, who appeared embarrassed by this whole thing. "Why didn't you tell us you were the priestess?!"

Natu looked down at the ground. "I can't help being what I am..." A tinge of sadness crept through her voice, and suddenly Leon found it harder to stay mad at her, though he did try, keeping his mouth turned into a disapproving frown.

The Bronzongs turned back towards Neal and Leon. "Regardless, we thank you two for protecting Priestess Anya. We had come to Treasure Town to discuss business with the local guildmaster, but our dear priestess had wandered off on her own."

One of them chuckled, though neither of them made any indications of humor. "Indeed, the priestess tends to have a careless attitude, and often does silly things such as this. And just as we've warned her, trouble followed her. Isn't that right?"

The Natu scoffed and cocked her head away. The Bronzongs simultaneously sighed, and they said, "Well, the important thing is that you're safe, Priestess. That's all that matters."

The Bronzongs turned up to Leon and Neal. "If it would be fine with you two, we would like you to come with us to the guild. We want to introduce the heroes who rescued our dear Priestess to Guildmaster Wigglytuff, and sing our praises of you."

Priestess Anya simply rolled her eyes.

Leon's heart skipped a beat. "You mean...we're going to see...Guildmaster Wigglytuff?"

The Bronzongs nodded. "The very same."

Leon's eyes literally shone with excitement. _This could be my chance,_ he thought to himself, _I could finally be an explorer, just like my mom!_

Neal locked eyes with Leon, and they both knew what their answer would be. They turned to the guardians and said, "Okay."

Despite their emotionless faces, Neal and Leon could tell that the Bronzong were beaming at the children. "Very well. Come along, then! We have no time to spare!" The two Pokémon swung around in sync, and tey floated off down the path, with the priestess in between them at all times. Neal and Leon turned to each other, the grins wide on both of their faces, and they charged off after them.

* * *

Once they arrived in town, a wave of excitement spread through the Pokémon in town. It quickly became a kind of parade, with many of the townsfolk lining up on the streets, led by the two Bronzong, as well as a Gallade and a Gardevoir who had met them in town, who introduced themselves as Nero and Perona, and apparently served as Anya's advisors, followed closely by Anya herself, then Leon and Neal, and finally another pair of Bronzong.

While Leon smiled and waved at the crowd, Neal looked around at the local Pokémon, and seeing their eyes trained on him made him feel extremely self-conscious and nervous. Anya looked behind her and saw the Sneasel looking this way and that and ducked away from the lead Bronzong to talk to him.

"Hello, my brave warrior!" Anya started with a great amount of formality. Leon noticed her and backed off with a look of disgust on his face, leaving Neal alone to deal with her.

Neal saw her and smiled weakly. "Hello, um, Your Grace?"

The Natu rolled her eyes. "Please, just call me Anya. I hate it when people get all formal on me just because I'm the priestess."

"Really? I mean, that's a pretty big honor, being the actual priestess of Xerneas!"

Anya sighed. "Sure, you could say that. But, I didn't come over here to talk about myself. I wanted to know how you were doing."

"What?!" Neal exclaimed, earning a stern look from Anya, before he quietly added, "I mean, why would you care about how I feel? You're, like, way more important than me."

Anya scoffed. "That doesn't mean anything." Her beak then upturned into a sly smile. "And besides, I must ensure the well-being of my new champions."

Neal's eyes popped open. "Wait, what?!"

"Halt!" The Bronzong exclaimed, causing the entire company to come to a stop in the middle of Treasure Square. By now, this had garnered a large crowd in the confined area, consisting of nearly everyone in town. Perona came close to Anya and whispered something into her ear. The Natu nodded and made her way to the front of the entourage and, facing the bulk of the crowd, began to speak.

"Good day to you all. I am known as Anya, though you may know me as the priestess of the Temple of Xerneas." After a wave of excited whispers moved through the crowd, Anya continued, "I'm sure you may be wondering what is happening here, but we assure you that it was simply supposed to be a routine visit to the Wigglytuff Guild.

"However, we were attacked by a band of ruffians, and I was separated from my guards. I was almost captured as well, if not for the bravery of these two valiant warriors who came to my rescue." She gestured to Leon and Neal, who respectfully nodded back, though Neal was sweating like crazy.

More whispers broke through the crowd. "A Dark type saved her?" "But I thought Dark types were evil!" "Isn't that Leonidas' boy?" "Did I leave the oven on?" "Merchants aren't supposed to battle, are they?"

Leon leaned in next to Neal. "Wow, they are blowing this way out of proportion, don't you think?"

"Well, she could be-" He was cut off a loud call coming from within the crowd.

"Leon!" The crowd parted to reveal an older purple Kecleon with a red stripe across his belly, Leon's father.

All signs of excitement flew out the window for Leon as he saw his father marching up to him. "Oh, man. Why now?" he murmured to himself.

As the elder Kecleon approached, two of the four Bronzong moved to block his way. "Halt! State your name and your business."

"My name is Leonidas, and I'm here for my boy," the Kecleon stated with command. The Bronzong looked between the two of them, before floating off to the side to allow Leonidas to pass.

"Dad, I can explain..." Leon began, but his father held up his hand, silencing him.

"Leon, what are you doing here? Why am I hearing that you were fighting someone?" Leonidas crossed his arms, tapping his foot on the ground while he waited for a good answer.

"I-I bumped into Anya in town. And, th-these two Pokémon were chasing after her. So, Neal and I went off and-"

Leonidas silenced Leon again. "That's enough. I've heard...enough." Leonidas stood there, thinking for a minute, before you said, "Leon, go back to the house."

"Wh-What?! B-But, Dad-"

"Now, son. Obey your father."

Leon stared at the ground, not budging. "This is because of Mom, isn't it?"

"What?" Leonidas' eyebrows furled, glaring at the younger Pokémon.

"You just don't want me doing any of this stuff because Mom disappeared. No, because she _died!_ "

The elder Kecleon growled. "Leon, you're grounded for a month. Go home, now!"

"And now you won't let me do anything because you're too scared I'll be just like her, don't you?!"

"LEON!" Leonidas screamed at the top of his lungs. "GO HOME, NOW!"

"I HATE YOU!" Leon screamed back, tears forming in his eyes, before he charged off in the direction of his house, shoving past the various members of the crowd.

Leonidas' eyes trailed Leon, watching him go to the door of their home and rush in, slamming the door, before he sighed and turned to Anya. "Please, forgive him, Lady Anya. I'll make sure he's dealt with accordingly."

Anya said nothing, staring sadly off after the little Kecleon. Nero intervened and said, "Thank you, Leonidas. I'm sure the priestess would tell you that you may deal with him as you see fit."

Leonidas bowed respectfully to the priestess, before he himself walked back to his house. After a quick discussion, the group decided to make their way to the Wigglytuff Guild without any further delay.

As the procession proceeded, Anya walked back up to Neal again. "What was that about?"

The Sneasel sighed. "It's a long story."

"We have some time." Anya said hopefully. But, seeing Neal's downtrodden face caused her to reconsider. "Can I at least hear the abridged version?"

Neal sighed again. "Do you know about Kiera the Kecleon?"

Anya shook her head, and Perona came close. "I have. She was a very famous explorer that was almost as big of a legend as Team Impossible is now. This was so because she turned her back on the Kecleon Shop and became a solo explorer. She made many great discoveries in her time, and she even attained Diamond Rank, all on her own."

"Wow! That's incredible! What happened to her?"

Neal's eyes darkened just slightly. "One day, she just disappeared without a trace. There were many rescue teams sent out to find her, but after a week without a single clue, they gave her up for dead. Wigglytuff even visited Leon's dad personally to tell him the bad news." Neal looked up and stared at the sky. "It was raining then, if I remember right. He ran away from his house and found me to tell me what happened. I had never seen Leon cry more than he did then when he heard his mom was dead."

He turned to the Natu. "He keeps saying that he'll find her, when he becomes an explorer himself. But, his dad is really scared that he'll die like his mother, which is why he keeps him on such a tight leash and never gives him the chance to become an explorer. In fact, today was the first time he'd been in a real battle with other Pokémon."

Perona nodded. "Yes, well, I've seen it happen before, especially when it concerns someone's death. I'm certain Leonidas is just trying to do his best to protect his son. However, whether or not it's really the correct thing to do is dependant on what his son wants. I could feel a lot of built up frustration within him, and he could be holding him back."

Anya stayed silent, simply processing the story that was just told to her. A loud cough broke her from her thoughts and she turned to Nero. "We're here, Lady Anya."

She looked around and saw that they were at the bottom of the steps heading towards the guild. Though, when they got there, or how long they'd been paused there was a mystery to her.

"Heh," she chuckled lightly. "You really know how to tell a good story, er..."

"Neal. It's Neal."

"Right." She glanced up towards the building above her before she said, "So, shall we be on our way?"

Neal smiled lightly and shook his head. "Not without Leon. If we go to the guild, I wanna be together with him when we do it. I'm sure he'd say the same thing if I wasn't here either."

Anya nodded. "Fine. But, I won't ever forget what you did for me, my brave warrior." She leaned over and pecked Neal on the cheek with a kiss, which caused him to stagger in place. The Bronzong then surrounded her and they proceeded up the stairs towards the guild.

Neal stared wide-eyed at the procession moving up the stairs, rubbing a clawed hand over his cheek. He smiled at himself, before he remembered what Leon was going through.

"I've never seen Leon break like that with his dad. I hope he'll be alright." With one last longing look at the guild, Neal decided to walk off back to his own home, where he hope he could sort all of the jumbled feelings he had.

* * *

And after about four months, I finally get this published! I'm really interested in this now, considering the fact that I made so much tension in the story, what with the argument between Leon and Leonidas (I will soon edit into the previous chapters to include both Leonidas and Kiera, since I finally came up with some detailed names for those two rather than just "Mom and Dad") and that kiss Anya gave Neal. What does it all mean? I dunno.

Anyway, I wanted to explain something to everyone. I know I've been taking a while with this story in particular, and I have several reasons why. First off, lack of inspiration. I actually started writing this a while ago, but it felt wrong so I took a break to figure out what was wrong. I rewrote the second part of the chapter, and it suddenly worked.

Two, prioritizing. Not only was I trying to work harder on stories like Pokémon Resurrection or Five Nights of Truth or Dare at Freddy's than this, but life constantly got in the way of me writing this. It also doesn't help that I got Pokémon Moon on Christmas, and nobody who has played that game could blame me for getting sucked into the intense story. (Which also reminded me that I never got to play any Gen V game, or X/Y, and that made me sad.) Though, this did allow me to allow Gen VII Pokémon into the story as well, so there's that.

Finally, there's the fact that I'm working on not one, but two stories with this. It's stressing to write one story, but when I have to do two at the same time, it gets exhausting. In truth, I've been considering killing one of these PMD stories (probably Pursuit), since that would allow me to get them out that much faster. (I'll actually explain why Pursuit is a little harder to write then Escape in my other story, so check it out for details.) But, I had planned on a whole bunch of stuff for both stories, and I really don't wanna kill either of them. I'd actually like your opinions on this, because this is important for how the stories will pan out, because there's a reason why it's taking place on two fronts, which I won't say until I get to that point.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thanks to everyone for keeping up with my story so far, and hopefully, I won't let my other, albeit bigger stories get in the way. Oh, and please vote in my brand new poll! See, I wanna know which of my stories is the most popular, and hence, should be updated more. I've already had several votes in it, and they're kind of pointing to the two stories I've already pointed out, with this one on the side. So, please vote and let your voice be heard! (By me. ;-P )

So, until next time, stay tuned to find out what happens next!


	5. Helpful Advice

The Spinda Café was once a small time establishment working quite literally underneath a rock. However, thanks to Spinda's wonderful Berry drinks and Wobbuffet and Wynaut's extremely useful Recycle Center, the Spinda Café soon became a very popular stop for explorers over time. And as more explorers stopped by, the more they talked about it on their travels with other Pokémon. And before long, it became almost as well known as the Wigglytuff Guild itself.

Soon, thereafter, more Pokémon wanted to open up shop nearby the famous establishment. First, a Gulpin opened a service for getting rid of rotten food and Berries that wouldn't be accepted by the Recycle Center. Then a Smeargle opened an art gallery, and then a Mareep and Leavanny pair opened a clothing boutique. Even a Kirlia who had a hidden service within certain mystery dungeons opened up shop here. Soon enough, the Spinda Plaza was born, named after the ambitious Pokémon that started it all, a place where various Pokémon could come together and share their wares and services, whatever they may be.

But, of course, the main attraction of the plaza is, and most likely always will be, Spinda's Café, which has become a Combee-hive of activity nowadays. Especially after the discovery of a new type of drink, one that Spinda had discovered purely by accident by leaving an Oran Berry concoction out in the sun too long, one that had a strange taste, and left Pokémon feeling rather dizzy after consuming too much of it. A drink that Pokémon have begun calling "Spinda's Berry Spindles."

It was this particular drink that Leonidas was currently drinking at Spinda's Juice Bar, in an attempt to try to lessen the impact of what had happened earlier. He couldn't believe that his son, Leon, would be caught up in the middle of something so...big. And when he heard that he had actually fought a couple of bandits in a battle, he just couldn't-

Leonidas shook his head. He held up his glass and said, slightly slurring his words, "Another Spinda Spindle, please!"

Soon, a Pokémon seemingly stumbled over to the Kecleon. She was a small rabbit-like Pokémon about the same height as Leonidas. She had white fur except for the red spots covering her right eye, her left cheek, the left side of her chest, and on her back by her tail. Her eyes also appeared as swirls instead of actual eyes. The silly smile on her face slowly faded as she saw who called her.

"Oh, Leo," she said, sounding concerned despite her cheery voice, "Again? This is your fourth glass. I'm sorry, but I think if I serve you any more, you might look like a Spinda yourself on your way home. If you could even find your way there."

Leonidas looked up at her, glaring. "Don't call me by that name! Nobody has called me that since-" He cut himself off, as he didn't want to say it, even though both of them certainly knew what he was about to blurt out. "Sorry about that. I'll be fine," he said, a little calmer, "Just get me another glass, will you, Carmen?"

The Spinda sighed. She had only worked at the Spinda Juice Bar for about half a year, ever since the original Spinda retired since he had made enough money, but she had always made it a point to be friendly with everyone who came into the café, even going as far as learning the names and getting to know everyone in town, and even some of the Pokémon who were just passing through. And she couldn't bear to see anyone looking down.

She looked over to another Spinda who was talking to a pretty Kirlia and Gothorita pair at a nearby table. "Preston!" she called out.

The Spinda turned around and looked at her. "Yes, Mom?"

"Could you please take over serving the drinks for a minute?"

"Sure thing!" As soon as he said this, however, Preston immediately turned his attention back to the girls in front of him. He said something to them quietly so no one could hear him, and the two of them suddenly burst out into a giggling fit.

Despite the fact that Preston basically ignored his mother completely, Carmen seemed satisfied enough to grab a glass and fill it with some MooMoo Milk, before she wobbled out of the bar area, keeping the glass perfectly balanced all the while, and took a seat next to Leonidas. Taking a sip from the glass after she settled, she suddenly appeared rather serious as she said, "I heard what happened today at the square."

Leonidas sighed. "Oh, you did, huh? Of course you did. You basically know all the gossip that goes around this town."

Carmen looked at Leonidas, a serious expressing on her face. "I think it's a little more than just simple gossip. I know that you only come here and drink this much of the Spindles when you have a serious argument with Leon. And from what I heard, it was a pretty big argument."

Leonidas remained quiet. Carmen reached an arm over and place it on the elder Kecleon's shoulder. "You know you can tell me what's on your mind. I'm starting to think that maybe, just possibly, that's the reason you keep coming here, right? Or are my Spindles really that amazing?"

Leonidas jerked his shoulder away, which Carmen immediately let go of, and was starting to get out of his seat. However, after a moment of consideration, he sighed sadly and sat back down. "It's just...he just has so much of Kiera in him."

Satisfied that he was finally starting to talk to her, Carmen smiled, "Well, she was a very big part of his life. I think it's pretty natural he took her on as a role model."

"That's just it!" Leonidas snapped. "I can't let him be like his mother, not after what happened to her. He doesn't understand that I'm trying to keep him safe! If he would just focus on working at the shop like Kenan does, then he wouldn't be in any danger."

Carmen swirled the milk in her glass, seemingly distracted. Suddenly, she smiled and chuckled lightly. "You know, you almost sound like how I feel at certain times. Let me tell you, having both my husband and my son in the exploring business can be pretty taxing on me at times. I sometimes imagine the Guildmaster coming to my doorstep and telling me that either Slasher or Paul have turned up missing on an expedition, or worse. And sometimes, I wish they could just quit and come back to me where they would be safe.

"But," she said thoughtfully, "then I think, 'would they ever be happy with simply staying home with me?' They chose their lives and what they would do with them, so who am I to decide what they should do?"

"Wait. You just said you worry about them all the time, though," said Leonidas, looking at her rather than his glass. "Doesn't their safety mean anything?"

She locked into his gaze, smiling. "You should listen to what I say better. Yes, I worry about them sometimes. And yes, I think that it would be safer if they just stayed home. But, if you ask me, I think they know what they're doing. Especially Paul." She chuckled at the thought. "I actually tried to convince him to stay home and help me at the café, like Preston is doing now. But, I could tell from the look he gave me that he had his eyes solely on catching up to Slasher, so I did the only sensible thing I could do, and let him go to follow his dreams."

Leonidas remained quiet, staring into his empty glass. "And something tells me," Carmen continued, "that that might be what Leon is aiming to do with his life. I can't tell you how you should raise your child, but I just can't help but wonder if, just maybe, you might've forgotten about Leon's feelings along the way of trying to protect him. And perhaps, from what I heard he accomplished today, he might have grown up without you even noticing."

Leonidas' instinctive reaction to her statemet was to lash out at her for questioning how he was raising his child, and that it wasn't her place to say what he did. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she might have had a point. Was it true? Had Leon really grown up and left him behind? And worse, how distant had he grown from him?

Leonidas stood up from his seat suddenly. He removed a little sack from his person and placed the proper amount of money he owed on the counter, and turned to leave the café and Carmen. However, he stopped and turned to the Spinda, a slight smile on his face. "Maybe you're right, Carmen. Maybe I do come here because you're so easy to talk to about these types of things. So, thank you for listening."

Carmen gave him a happy smile. "Of course! I'm always happy to help!"

The Spinda watched as Leonidas turned his attention ahead of him and continued up the stairs and out into the night. She continued staring that way for about another minute before a loud noise from somewhere down the bar shouted, "Hey, Carmen, where are you at? Please tell me you didn't put Preston in charge of the bar. I'm dying of thirst over here!"

Carmen got up from the chair and stumbled back over to the bar, her smile a little wider, and if anyone could even tell through her clumsy manner of walking, she had a bit more of a spring to her step than normal. "Coming!" she said in a loud sing-songy voice, ready to serve her next customer, whether it be to satisfy their thirst or their conscience. Whichever works.

* * *

Leon laid in his bed, unmoving, staring up at his ceiling, emotionally dead as far as he was concerned. He had already done everything he could think to vent his frustrations at his father. He cried into his pillow, he screamed into his pillow, he punched his pillow, he threw his pillow to the other side of the room. In other words, this was a bad day to be a pillow with Leon's tantrum going in full swing.

He never usually acts out in this way, but considering the embarrassment his father put him through, he felt it was more than fair to express just how he felt about all of this. However, considering he pretty much abused his pillow to death and have now fully vented, he now just felt emotionally exhausted.

He didn't react when he heard the door to his room open and the sound of footsteps made their way inside. "Hey, Leon," he heard Kenan say, "Dad wants to see you in the dining room."

"Okay," Leon replied distantly. He figured that his dad would return sooner or later from the Juice Bar, but he didn't think he would come back so quickly. It was still fairly early in the evening, around 8 o'clock or so. However, he still felt fairly horrid from earlier, so he dawdled quite a bit as he slowly rotated in his bed so he was facing the door to his room before he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"What the heck are you doing?" Kenan asked impatiently, tapping his foot in irritation.

"Sorry. I'm just...not really feeling up to it right now." Leon said quietly.

Kenan huffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, quit feeling sorry for yourself! What happened to your stupid 'tomorrow's another day' schtick you like to do?"

Leon looked at his brother, a little more than irritated. "Oh, shut up, Kenan! You have no idea what I'm going through now."

Kenan scoffed. "Whatever. You know something? If you had just stayed home and helped with the shop, than none of this would've happened! Dad wouldn't have gotten in your face for doing all that dangerous stuff, and you wouldn't be in here throwing yourself a pity party like you're doing now!"

Leon remained silent, staring at the wall in front of him. He felt that if he responded to that, then it would only help to prove his point. So, it came as an even bigger surprise to him when Kenan said, "But, if you hadn't gone out today, then that priestess probably would've been kidnapped or worse, and it was only because you were there that they failed."

Leon pushed himself up from his prone position and turned to Kenan, who was giving him a kind of half-smile. "Listen man, I think we all know you have your heart set on other stuff than this shop. Now, I really don't know what could be so appealing about being an explorer or whatever. I just can't see myself doing all of that hard labor and battling, and I honestly like working at the shop. But you? You're way too restless to even think about running a shop. In a lot of ways...you're exactly like Mom was."

This last comment especially surprised Leon, as he couldn't remember the last time Kenan ever talked about their mom after her disappearance, if he ever did at all. At a loss for words, Leon stammered, "K-Kenan-"

His brother cut him off with a sigh. He let it stand for a moment, and then said, "You know, I think you're stupid for wanting to throw away your entire family legacy just to be an explorer."

Leon's expression deadpanned. "Well, gee. Thanks a lot..."

Kenan chuckled at Leon's comment, and suddenly flashed him a thumbs up. "But, I'll support you with whatever you wanna do. I mean, I have to, since I'm your brother and everything. So, get downstairs and give Dad a piece of your mind!"

Leon was left speechless. He suddenly felt his eyes stinging again, but this time with tears of joy. After seeing his brother's reaction, Kenan quickly folded his arms and said dismissively, "Oh, knock it off, Leon! And by the way, if you get in trouble for telling off Dad, I will deny having any involvement with that crazy idea, ya hear me?"

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he gave a huge sniff and nodded his head with a huge smile on his face. "Alright."

"Good." Kenan walked out of Leon's room, shutting the door softly. Leon pushed himself out of bed and walked over to the window. He opened it and stuck his head out, letting the cool night breeze dry what remained of his tears. He breathed in deeply before exhaling quite loudly, feeling at peace for the first time that whole evening.

Breathing in and out once more, he pulled his head back in and shut the window once more. He then proceeded out the door and made his way to the stairs. He hesitated for a moment at the top of the stairs, but after taking another breath, he began to move down the steps.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Leonidas sitting at the table in the dining room, with an small, old looking chest sitting in front of him. He saw that both his and his brother's chairs were stacked an put aside towards the wall, leaving only his father's and...

"Leon," Leonidas said softly, breaking the Kecleon from his thought, "please, take a seat." He gestured towards the empty chair in front of him.

Leon, being caught off guard by all this, did what he was expected to and sat in the chair opposite his father. There they sat, two Kecleon, both father and son, for a good several minutes in complete silence, neither willing to break it as the uncomfortable feeling grew ever more pressing.

Finally, Leonidas broke the silence. "Son, we need to talk."

"Talk?" Leon asked. "About what?"

His father reached over to the chest in front of him and undid the latch on the front, before turning around so the front was facing Leon. "We need to talk about...your mother." He lifted the lid of the chest, revealing the contents within to a completely stunned Leon.

* * *

And cliffhanger! Sorry about that guys, but after nearly a year without an update, I'm glad that I was able to come up with this! I especially enjoyed writing the interactions between Leon and Kenan, as I was able to channel a lot from my personal experience dealing with my dad and my brother, so this one was a pretty personal chapter for me.

Plus, one of the major things that I kept advertising in this story finally came into effect in this chapter, the fact that you can submit your own characters into it. I'm so happy to finally announce that one of the characters that was submitted made their way into this story. (Well, specifically, it wasn't the character that appeared, but one of his relatives.)

So, straight from **TheEnigmaticSoul,** the character that made their appearance in this story is none other than "Carmen" the Spinda! However, as I said, this is only one of the relatives of the character she has submitted, and that character will eventually make an appearance in this story, but hopefully you will like Carmen's appearance in this story just as well!

Now, I know that I've been taking a long time on these stories, and I apologize for it. But life has kept catching up to me in the worst of ways, and frankly because I've been doing nothing but write long chapters for both Five Nights of Truth or Dare at Freddy's and A Wild Kecleon Reviews, so I ended up getting burned out from the whole writing scene for a while. But let me assure you guys that I am not only still willing to write, but I am currently working on several chapters for other stories that I have as well as this one. So keep an eye out for those, and hopefully I won't take another year to write a single chapter again. (Technically two, but...)

So, for now, take care everyone, and please leave a review to my story, as it only helps me in the long run! And since I now have proof that I was serious about the whole SYOC thing, go and check out the character submission form on my profile so you can attempt to get your character in too! So, until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter. Seriously though, fingers crossed that I don't take forever next time.


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